Jeff Bridges Reveals That He was Close to Death After Contracting COVID-19 During Chemo
Earlier today, People Magazine released an exclusive interview with The Big Lebowski and True Grit star Jeff Bridges, where the actor revealed that he almost died after contracting COVID-19 while undergoing chemotherapy. The 72 year-old actor had been receiving chemo after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
In the interview, Bridges recounted feeling "something unusual in his stomach," which led to doctors finding a 12-by-9 inch tumor in his body. The actor immediately underwent chemo, which was successful in treating the cancer.
However, the chemo also opened him up to contracting COVID-19 - before the COVID-19 vaccine was widely available.
"I had no defenses. That's what chemo does - it strips you of all your immune system. I had nothing to fight it. COVID made my cancer look like nothing."
The actor then spent five months in the hospital, where he was in extreme pain, and had trouble even rolling over in bed without a nurse's help.
"I was pretty close to dying. The doctors kept telling me, 'Jeff, you've got to fight. You're not fighting.' I was in surrender mode. I was ready to go. I was dancing with my mortality."
However, after being treated with convalescent plasma, a treament People described as "a therapy that uses blood from people who've recovered from an illness to help others recover," the actor was able to slowly overcome his illness - both of them.
Nowadays, Bridges is in remission, and is happily working again, starring in FX's The Old Man with co-stars John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman. He's also been continuing his philantrophic work with No Kid Hungry and the Amazon Conservation Team, and celebrating being with his wife, three daughters, and now, three grandchildren.
Despite the difficult year and a half, Bridges is taking everything in stride, ending the interview with:
"Who would say, 'I'd love some cancer and give me a dose of COVID? But my ability to receive all the love and give it was just heightened. Everything was turned up in the most beautiful way."
We're just happy that the beloved actor survived and is thriving.
The Old Man debuts June 16, 2022 on FX.
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